External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday evening received a call from his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi and discussed various aspects of the West Asia crisis. The phone conversation came two days after Araghchi held wide-ranging discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Received a phone call from Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi of Iran this evening. @araghchi. Had a detailed conversation about various aspects of the current situation. We agreed to remain in close touch."
What did the two leaders discuss?
The Iranian embassy in New Delhi said the two sides "discussed and exchanged views on the latest developments related to the ceasefire, bilateral relations, as well as regional and international issues".
West Asia crisis
It is learnt that the situation arising from the US blockade of Iranian ports, along with Iran's restrictions on ship movement through the Strait of Hormuz, figured prominently in the discussions.
The Iranian foreign minister travelled to Moscow after visiting Oman and Pakistan as part of ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the Iran–United States conflict.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the United States, held on April 11–12 in Islamabad, failed to produce a breakthrough.
Last Tuesday, US President Donald Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to allow Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal aimed at ending the conflict.
The conflict in West Asia began following US-Israeli joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, which killed Iran's 86-year-old Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran, in retaliation, targeted Israel and US assets in several Gulf countries, causing disruption in the waterways and affecting international energy markets and global economic stability.
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